Once a year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) round up the UK press offices and a selection of their fleet cars for a one-day event at the Millbrook Proving Ground. It's a chance to catch up on colleagues and new personnel as well as an opportunity to drive some of the latest vehicles on the high-speed bowl and entertaining 'Hill Route'.

Some outlets write full 'road tests' from the day's activities, though time in each car is fairly limited. This year I got behind the wheel of no less than 25 different cars, which goes to show perhaps how little time I did spend in each, though that included at least one lap of the challenging Hill Route in each car. There are so many new cars being launched this year that we thought it would be worth compiling my first impressions on these cars. Many we will test in depth at a later date.

Porsche Boxster
Model tested: Porsche Boxster
Price: £32,640 on-the-road.
0-62mph: 6.2 seconds
Top speed: 159mph
Kerb weight: 1295kg
Relevant links: All Porsche road tests.

With so much hype surrounding the Porsche Cayman S and even the recently announced poor-man's Cayman, it would be easy to forget where this coupe has come from; the Porsche Boxster was the basis for the coupe version and though it is not in the limelight right now, it is still a good seller.

Why? Well, its looks and image probably account for many buyers, but underneath the diluted 911 styling lies a tactile and involving driver's car that offers almost too much capability for the performance on tap. Still, I enjoyed my couple of laps at the wheel, being reminded just how tactile Porsche's driving controls are, how perfectly weighted every switch and driver interface is. Sublime is a good word to describe this car's 'togetherness'; it's a sportscar to be used every day.

Shane O' Donoghue - 13 Jun 2006